In the fourth annual George J. Losoncy Lecture in Physics and Astronomy, Kunal K. Das, professor of physics at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, will give a lecture titled “The Quantum Rules: The Laws Of Physics Applied To Everyday Life” at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium.

Robert Forrey has been named Distinguished Professor of Physics at Penn State Berks. He is the second faculty member at the campus to receive the Distinguished Professor title. There will be a reception in his honor from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in the Janssen Conference Center for the campus community.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will host diverse speakers on three occasions this fall as part of its annual Faculty Invitational Lecture Series. Topics include observations from an ion composition experiment, globalizing teaching strategies and a performance event on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart.” All events are free and open to the public.

The Lunar Lion team celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Research West Building, a move that allows the interdisciplinary group to consolidate and expand its operations in an easily accessible part of University Park campus.

Tai-Yin Haung, associate professor of physics at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will be the featured speaker for the next Teaching International program lecture. Huang will present "Atmospheric Research: A Global Endeavor Involving International Collaborations" at 12:15 p.m. Dec. 3 in Room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. This event is free and open to the public.

Tai-Yin Huang, associate professor of physics at Penn State Lehigh Valley, has recently been awarded supplemental funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the amount of $19,998 under the AGS-1202019 award "Micrometeoroid Mass Flux Influences on Space Weather and Middle Atmosphere Aeronomy Studied Using the Six NSF Radars and Modeling."

A group of Penn State researchers are part of a five-year, $194 million research effort recently announced by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to support continued growth and leadership in the U.S. semiconductor industry.

For the first time, scientists have created single layers of a naturally occurring rare mineral called tungstenite, or WS2. The resulting sheet of stacked sulfur and tungsten atoms forms a honeycomb pattern of triangles that have been shown to have unusual light-emitting, or photoluminescent, properties. According to team leader Mauricio Terrones, a professor of physics and of materials science and engineering at Penn State, the triangular structures have potential applications in optical technology; for example, for use in light detectors and lasers.

The Penn State Beaver library is hosting a display of nature photography by retired professor of physics James Monroe. The public is invited to visit this free exhibit. Over the years, Monroe has traveled the country to photograph unique and often unseen views of nature. His work can be seen in area shops, and he has donated his photos to help fundraising efforts on behalf of scholarships for campus students. Monroe retired from Beaver in 2007 after teaching there for 30 years. For information about the photography exhibit, contact Lisa Harris, the library's information resources and services support specialist, at ljh28@psu.edu or 724-773-3792.

Solid, spongy blocks of carbon nanotubes may be a big help in future oil-spill cleanups, according to researchers at Penn State and Rice University who created the new material. Formed using carbon and a dash of boron, these nanotube sponges have a remarkable ability to separate oil from seawater.

Moses Chan, an Evan Pugh Professor of Physics at Penn State, testified before the U.S. Senate on whether the sell-off of the nation's helium reserve has an adverse effect on the nation's scientific, technical, biomedical and national-security users of helium. Chan, a member of the National Academy of Sciences / National Research Council (NAS/NRC) Committee on Understanding the Impact of Selling the Helium Reserve, gave his testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 10.

For the first time, researchers at Penn State University and Rice University have created solid, spongy blocks of carbon nanotubes that have an astounding ability to clean up oil spills in water. Separating oil from seawater is just one of a range of potential applications for the new material formed using carbon and a dash of boron. The international team, which includes Mauricio Terrones, a professor of physics and of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has published the results of its research in Nature's online journal Scientific Reports.